Outside of Pallet Town
by Blueman-436
Summary: To help her son overcome his shyness, Matt's mom sends him out on a Pokemon Journey. Will he be able to travel the land of Kanto on his own? Then again, he isn't really on his own. Rated T for later events.
1. Picking the Paint

Chapter One: Picking the Paint for Your Pallet

This world we all share is filled with many wonders, but none so amazing as the creatures that inhabit Mahou, an island chain just to the south of Japan. The creatures there, known as "Pocket Monsters", or Pokemon, are animals that can wield fantastic powers, such as fire and lighting, water and ice, and many more.

For thousands of years, humans and Pokemon have lived by each other's sides as friends and partners, and some people even put their Pokemon's abilities to the test against other Pokemon. These people are called "Pokemon trainers" and can connect with the creatures in ways that no other person can. Leagues were set up all across the regions of Mahou to hold battles and crown champions. Soon the idea of a "Pokemon Master" was born. This is where this story will now begin.

On the southern shores of Kanto, just north of Route 21, lay the town of Pallet. Pallet Town was a small, quiet town with dirt roads and no real businesses. In fact, Pallet Town was so insignificant that it would not even be on most maps if it was not for the fact that the famous Pokemon professor, Samuel Oak, held his studies there.

The population of the town was mostly older folk who had came to retire by the sea. Most of the children that had lived in the town had either grown up or left on their Pokemon journeys years ago. The only two residents of Pallet under the age of twenty were Professor Oak's own grandson and a ten-year-old boy named Matthew.

"Matt, honey, hurry up! You don't want to keep him waiting!" Matthew's mother called up to him from the living room of their home. He was in his room getting dressed.

His long, curly brown hair was still wet from his shower so he tucked it under his red ball cap to hide the curls when it dried. He slipped his red sleeveless vest over his black t-shirt and then tied his black tennis shoes. "Okay, Mom. I'm ready!" he called down to her and sighed. He really did not want to do this. Every day for the past month he had pleaded to his mother to not make him, but she insisted. And now the day was here and time was up for him to stop it. Slowly, Matthew walked down the stairs.

"Well, well, well. It looks like a Pokemon trainer just walked down from my son's bedroom!" she said and ruffled the top of his hat. "Oh, dear. I wish you'd take that off! You look so cute with your curls!"

Matt brushed his mother's hand to the side and looked up to her. Tears were welling up in the edges of his eyes. "Mom... please... Why are you making me do this?" he asked, choking on his tears.

She hugged her son tightly to her and then pushed him away, looking deeply into his eyes. "Matthew, you are a sheltered child. You know barely anything about the world outside of this town. You've grown up with one spoiled child and you have barely any social skills from it. It's time for you to go out and make some friends. You'll thank me for it honey!" she said and saw how her son was shaking. Matt was afraid of everything and was very shy. The only thing she had not tried to help her son was sending him on a Pokemon journey. Now it was up. "Your father was a great Pokemon trainer, and so was your father's father. It's in your blood, Matt. I know you'll be great, and you'll meet lots of new friends a long the way. Both people and Pokemon!"

"Mom! I can barely talk to the mail-lady when she drops off the mail! How am I supposed to have battles?" Matt cried.

"Matthew. The decision has been made. Today you are going to become a Pokemon trainer." she said with a stern voice and walked over to the front door, opening it. "All boys leave someday, it said so on TV. And today is your day, baby. I want you to leave now, and I don't want you coming back here until you've made some friends." her harsh faced softened into a smile. "Go ahead, and make sure to try and have fun."

Matthew's mother pushed her son out the front door of their house and he could hear the lock behind him. It was official. He has left home and could not come back. He sat down outside of his front door and brought his knees up to his eyes, sobbing into his jeans. He was so afraid that he did not know what to do. If he went to Professor Oak's he'd be too afraid to talk to the man, and if he didn't, he would not have anything at all. He wouldn't even be allowed to leave Pallet without a Pokemon. He had to go to the research laboratory.

Professor Oak's laboratory was not far from Matthew's house, less than a mile, so it did not take him long to get there. He stood at the front door for a minute, peering through the partially tinted glass. Inside he could see an older man dressed in a white lab coat walking around with a clip board. Matthew had met the professor several times, but had never actually spoken to him. Matt seldom spoke to anyone he did not know.

Slowly, he opened the door and walked in. "H-h-hello?" he tried to say.

"Hmm? Oh, Matthew! I thought you weren't going to show!" the older man said after spotting the boy. "Come in, come in! I bet you're excited to get your Pokemon, right?"

"U-uh..." the boy mumbled, looking to the ground.

"Right this way then! Follow me!" Professor Oak said and Matt followed him to the back of the laboratory. He lead him to a desk with three red and white spheres sitting upon it. "Here you are, boy. When I was much younger, I was quite the talented Pokemon trainer. But now in my old age I have but three left. They are right here inside of these PokeBalls. And now, I am giving one of them to you." He walked over to the balls and tapped each on on the top. A bright flash sprang from each of the balls and three Pokemon appeared on the floor in front of the desk.

"This here is Bulbasaur, a Grass and Poison type Pokemon!" the professor said, bending down and petting to toad-like Pokemon on the head. The Pokemon nuzzled the professor affectionately. "I'm quite fond of this Pokemon and I'm sure it would make a great partner for a new trainer like you."

"This next Pokemon is Charmander, a Fire type." he said, patting the lizard-like Pokemon on the head.

"Grrrrr!" the Charmander growled and attempted to bite the man's hand.

"Whoa! Watch it there, Charmander!" Professor Oak laughed. "Charmander is full of energy and would be a powerful asset to any party. I'd really recommend this one!"

"Last we have Squirtle, a Water Pokemon." he said, but when he went to pet the tiny turtle-like Pokemon, it ducked inside of its shell. Soon, snoring noises could be heard coming out of it. "Oh, well. I guess it needed to get some rest! Always a good idea to store up energy for a battle! Right, Matthew?"

"Y-yeah..." Matt said, looking from one Pokemon to the next. They were all so different. Charmander seemed to be ferocious, which scared him. Squirtle seemed a bit lazy, which would not help him win any battles or make new friends. Bulbasaur seemed very friendly, and the boy was drawn to it's happy face.

"All three of them are fine choices for a new trainer, but you can have only one. Which one would you like, Matthew?" the professor asked.

Matt did not have to think about his decision for very long. "I'd l-like to h-h-have Bulbasaur, s-sir." he said with a beaming grin.

"Graar raaar!" the greenish Pokemon cried out in glee.

"Okay, then!" Professor Oak said and put the other two Pokemon back into their pockets. "Now, Bulbasaur, you'll be going with Matthew here. You two are going to travel all over the Kanto region. I'm sure you two will be great friends!"

"Raaa!" the Pokemon cried cheerfully.

"Now then, here is Bulbasaur's Pokeball." Oak said, handing Matt the ball. "Also, here is a bit of money and a backpack to store your gear in. Now, there is one last thing I would like to give you." he said and walked back to his desk. He returned with a small, red, rectangular object. "All my years of studying Pokemon has lead to this. This is my invention, the Pokedex. An encyclopedia on all the Pokemon that live in the Kanto region. I am giving it to you, Matthew, in hopes that you will add to it on your journey." the professor said and handed the Pokedex to Matt.

"Th-thank you, s-s-sir!" Matt said.

"Why don't you try it out? Open 'er up and aim the lens at Bulbasaur!" he said and Matt did so.

The Pokedex light up and an image of a Bulbasaur appeared on the small screen. "_Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon._" the Pokedex spoke with an electronic voice.

"The seed grows with it..." Matthew said under his breath. "Bulbasaur, return!" the boy said and Bulbasaur was surrounded in a ball of white light. The light shrunk around the Pokemon and the Pokemon began to shrink with it until it was small enough to fly up into the PokeBall.

"Great! Now, off with you! It's time for you to start your Pokemon journey!" Professor Oak said and began to push Matt to the front of the lab.

"B-b-but Professor O-Oak! I d-don't kn-know anything about tr-traveling!" Matt stammered, digging his heels into the floor, and Oak stopped for a moment.

"Here!" the man said and handed Matthew a folded up piece of paper. "This is a map of Kanto. It's a little dated, but I'm sure it'll work." he pointed to a point on the map. "That's Pallet Town. If you head just North from here, you'll end up in Viridian City. I'm sure you'll find some sort of adventure there, and maybe even meet some new Pokemon!" Oak said and began to push the boy again.

"But-but-but!" Matt cried.

"No buts!" he said and stopped again once they arrived at the front door. "Matthew, a Pokemon journey is the greatest thing in the world for children. I miss my own journey so very much, so I will not allow you to miss out on yours. Please, go. Go on to Viridian City and find your own adventure!" the old man said, pushing Matt out through the door and shutting it in his face.

Matt looked at the door for several minutes, unable to think of what he was to do. Then, suddenly, he grabbed a hold of the PokeBall and clenched it tight. He turned around and began to march northward, towards Route 1. The journey of Matthew from Pallet Town had begun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is going to be a rewrite of an older story of mine, also titled "Outside of Pallet Town". Though it will mostly follow the same story as the last, there will be some changes. The main reason that I wanted to do this is that my writing style has vastly changed and improved. I am quite fond of "OPT" and felt that I needed to do this. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the rest to follow!


	2. The Injured Rattata

Chapter Two: The Injured Rattata

"This is it. This is Route 1. If I walk out this gate, I'll no longer be in Pallet Town..." the boy said, staring out the northern gate, still clutching his Pokemon's ball in his hand. "I... can do this." he said and stepped out under the archway onto the dirt path that was Route 1. "Alright... Now... here I go to Viridian City."

He plotted up the road, slowly. The fresh breeze moving in between the tall pine trees that lined the path was new to him. It smelled of pine needles and other smells that he did not recognize, nothing like the plain winds of Pallet Town. A slight smile formed on the edges of his lips and he gripped Bulbasaur's PokeBall once again. The smile vanished when he heard a strange noise coming from a patch of tall grass ahead.

The grass had overgrown most of the path and a high wall lined the side of it. There was no way around the grass. "Wh-what is th-that?" he whimpered. He began to back up slowly, then remembered the ball in his hand. "R-right! Go Bulbasaur!" Matthew said and threw his PokeBall into the grass. Bulbasaur burst out of the ball in a flash of greenish-white light. "Wh-what is it, Bulbasaur?"

"Draa ner!" the Grass and Poison Pokemon cried out, urging its new trainer to come closer. Matthew hesitated, afraid of what ever had made the odd noise. For all he knew, it could be a powerful Pokemon hiding in the grass. "Daaaaar!" Bulbasaur cried again, and Matt forced himself to crawl towards the grass.

"Wh-what? It's a... Rattata!" Matt said, bending back the grass to find a small, violet, rat-like Pokemon curled up on the ground. At first, he was startled at his find; Rattata were known for their sharp fangs, and this one could leap up at any time and bite him. But then he realized that the Pokemon was not moving. In fact, it was barely breathing. "It's hurt!" he cried out, and looked to Bulbasaur. "Wh-what do I do?"

"You take it to a Pokemon Centre, of course!" a high, girlish voice said from behind him.

Matt turned around to see a girl, somewhat shorter than him, with long brown hair and glasses, looking down at him and the two Pokemon. "Wh-who, wha-what? Wh-what is a P-P-Pokemon Cen-centre?

"What, are you an idiot or something?" the girl asked. "Yes, a Pokemon Centre. It's a hospital for injured Pokemon. There's one in Viridian City, just up this route."

"P-Pokemon hospital?" Matthew asked. "B-but h-how do I t-t-take Rattata there? It's n-not my Pokemon. I can't p-put it in a PokeBall."

"Then carry it, Smart-one!" the girl shouted. "You'd better hurry, it doesn't look very good!"

Matthew looked down at the Pokemon with trembling hands. He wanted to help the Rattata, but was afraid. "I... I h-have to help it!" he cried and went to reach for the Pokemon, but pulled back when the Rattata twitched. "I... I j-just c-can't do it!"

"Krr-raaa" the rat-like Pokemon moaned and Matthew could feel his body tense up. He clenched his teeth together and tears nearly formed in his eyes.

"Y-yes I can! Mom wants me to make friends, and if I can't even help a hurt Pokemon, what chance do I have?!" he said, and turned to his Bulbasaur. "Let's go Bulbasaur! We can do this!"

"Daaaaa!" Bulbasaur cried gleefully.

"H-here... w-we... go!" Matthew said and grabbed the Rattata with both hands, pulling it close to his chest. The Normal type squirmed in his grip, but the boy held on to it tight. "Come on!" he shouted to his Pokemon and ran up the path to where Viridian City and the Pokemon Centre were supposed to be.

"What was that all about?" the girl asked as she stayed behind and watched the boy and his Bulbasaur run up Route 1.

"I-is that it?" Matthew asked after just shy of an hour of rushing. In the distance, he could see bright green roof-tops and many buildings. He had at last reached Viridian City, the first point on his Pokemon journey. "Let's hurry along, Bulbasaur. We're almost there!" the boy said, and looked down at Rattata. Rattata looked up at the boy with wondering eyes, and Matthew met its stare. He was no longer afraid, and he could tell that the Pokemon was not either.

"Drraa!" Bulbasaur cried and they raced down into the city in search of the Pokemon hospital the girl had mentioned.

"Where is it?" Matt asked himself as he ran through the streets of Viridian City. The street he and Bulbasaur were running along seemed to be the busiest one he could find, both with people and businesses, so he figured that if there was a hospital for Pokemon, it had to be on this street. "C-come on, Rattata, just hold on." he said to the Normal type.

"Oh, my!" a woman cried out and ran up to Matthew as he ran past her. "Boy! Hey, little boy!" she called up to him and Matt stopped. "Your Rattata looks terrible! What happened to it?"

Matthew looked up at the woman. She had long, flowing green hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a white robe with a badge on the right side of her chest that looked like a PokeBall with a pink "+" in the middle. "It's n-n-not m-my Rattata, m-ma'am. It's wild."

"A wild Rattata? Oh, dear!" the woman said. "Here come inside, quickly! I'll do my best to heal it!"

"Is th-this the P-Pokemon Centre?" he asked, following her inside.

"It is. Couldn't you tell by the red roof? It's the only building in town that isn't green topped." she said with a smile. "Now, hand me the Rattata, please."

Matthew handed her the Rattata and the nurse took it into a back room. She returned several minutes later empty handed. "Wh-where's Rattata? Is it g-g-going to b-be okay?" he asked.

"Yes, Rattata is going to be just fine. It looks like it got into a battle with a wild Pidgey." the nurse answered gleefully. "Why are you so worried about it, may I ask. We don't normally get people bringing wild Pokemon into a Pokemon Centre."

Matthew thought about that for a moment. He didn't know why he felt the need to get help for Rattata, but he did. "I j-just couldn't l-leave it there."

"I think I understand." the nurse said and bent down to Bulbasaur, patting it on the head while smiling. "You have a very thoughtful trainer, Bulbasaur. How lucky for you!"

"Fuuuush" Bulbasaur cooed.

Matthew and Bulbasaur left the Pokemon Centre after saying his thanks to the nurse. He still could not figure out why he had been so worried about the Rattata when he did not know it. And he could not explain the feeling he had in his stomach when he and the small Pokemon had looked at each other. The feeling of fright had vanished from both of them, and a new feeling replaced it.

"Alright, Bulbasaur. We made it to Viridian City, just like Professor Oak told us to do. So... now what?" Matt asked his Pokemon who looked up at him blankly.

"I don't know about you, Matty, but I'm going to join the Pokemon League." a familiar voice said to the boy from behind his back. Matt's body froze up and sweat began to drip from his back.

"K-K-K-K-K-K..." the boy tried to stammer out the name, but he couldn't. His whole body refused to move. It was as if the voice of the other boy had paralyzed him.

"Persian got your tongue, Matty?" the other boy said and walked around to Matthew's front. "Gramps told me that he gave you a Pokemon, so I made him give me one as well."

"K-K-Kayne..." he finally said, and the other boy donned a devilish grin.

"A Bulbasaur, huh? What a girly Pokemon!" Kayne, Professor Oak's grandson, said with a laugh. "When Gramps told me that you picked the Grass Pokemon, I knew that I had to go with the Fire type. Do you remember what Pokemon that was, Matty? Honestly, I don't know why you didn't pick it. It was obviously the best choice out of all three. So feisty. So powerful at this low level."

"Ch-Ch-Charmander..." Matt said in a painful whine. He looked down to his Bulbasaur with worry. He knew what was about to happen.

"That's right, Matty. Charmander. And guess what." he said, his grin stretching even farther. "We're about to battle! Go, Charmander!" Kayne said, tossing a PokeBall into the air. The Charmander that Matt had scene in Kayne's grandfather's laboratory appeared in front of it's master in a flash of bright white light.

"Kaaaa!" the Fire type cried and glared at Matthew's Bulbasaur. The flame on it's tail sizzled and grew fiercer.

Matthew took out his PokeDex and aimed the lens at Kayne's Pokemon. "_Charmander, the __L__izard Pokemon. The flame on its tail shows the strength of its life force. If it is weak, the flame also burns weakly._" the PokeDex stated. Matt looked at Charmander's tail and could see that Kayne's Pokemon was full of energy.

"K-K-K-Kayne, I c-c-c-c-can't b-b-battle you!" Matthew stammered, his hands and knees shaking even worse.

"You have to, kid" a girl's voice said from behind him. Matt turned to see the girl he had met on Route 1. "It's a Pokemon League rule. If you're a Pokemon trainer, and someone challenges you, you must accept their battle!"

"Smart girl." Kayne laughed. "Now, let's roll, Matty! I'll even let you go first since I challenged you!" His smirk grew with his laugh.

"B-b-b-but I c-c-c-c-can't. I d-d-don't kn-know what attacks B-B-Bulbas-s-saur can use!" Matthew cried.

"Oh, you big baby! Didn't Gramps tell you anything about that PokeDex thing he gave you? If you look up Bulbasaur's page it'll tell you the moves it can use at it's different levels! I'm guessin' that you haven't trained it at all if you don't know it's attacks, so it's probably still at Level 5."

"L-l-level?" Matt asked and scrolled to the top of the PokeDex, finding the page on Bulbasaur. "Tackle and Growl..." he thought, then looked to his Pokemon. "R-r-right. Let's g-go Bulbasaur!" he said, thrusting his fist forwards, towards his opponent. "U-use T-t-t-tackle!"

"Fuuuu!" the Seed Pokemon cried and charged at Charmander at it's master's command.

"Heheh! Charmander, use Leer!" Kayne commanded his Pokemon. Charmander narrowed it's eyes and glared straight at Bulbasaur. Matthew's Pokemon slowed to a stop, and sweat started to form on it's head. "What a weak Pokemon, being stopped by a Leer. Charmander, use Scratch!"

"Hiiya!" Kayne's Pokemon growled and slashed at Bulbasaur, scratching it just above the eyes.

"Deeeeeen!" Bulbasaur cried out and tried to back off.

"B-B-B-Bulbasaur!" Matt cried out to his Pokemon. Tears began to fill his eyes as he watched his Pokemon's head begin to bleed.

"Hahah! I can't believe how easy this has been! I fought a wild Mankey stronger than this pathetic Pokemon." Kayne said and began to laugh harder. He started to laugh so hard that he doubled over with his hands on his knees. "Such a loser!

"B-B-Bulbasaur!" Matt whimpered, attempting to push back his tears. "U-use T-Tack-kle again!" he commanded and the wounded Bulbasaur charged at Kayne's Pokemon once again.

"Tch, I shouldn't have even challenged you if you were this weak. Ember, Charmander." Kayne said, standing up from his laughing position. The smirk was still on his face, but was accompanied with a look of annoyance or boredom in his eyes.

"Kaaaaa!" the Lizard Pokemon roared and turned it's back to Bulbasaur. It then began to swing it's tail back and forth, causing sparks to fly from the flame on it's tip. The sparks flew onto Bulbasaur's body, and the sound of sizzling flesh rang out. Bulbasaur collapsed to the ground.

"Bulbasaur!" Matt cried and ran to his Pokemon. "B-Bulbasaur, are y-you okay?" he asked, rubbing the soot off of Bulbasaur's greenish skin.

"Of course it's not okay, idiot! It's fainted. You lost." Kayne sneered. "See ya later, loser. Oh, and don't even think about joining the Pokemon League. You'd never be able to get any badges anyway." he said and walked off into the distance.

Matt collapsed and dug his face into the road. Tears ran out along the asphalt.

"A-are you okay kid?" the girl asked and looked around her. But Matthew wasn't okay. He was away from his home, his Pokemon was injured, and he had lost to the one other kid he had known his entire life. It was difficult to live outside of Pallet Town.


	3. Lance and the Magikarp

Chapter Three: Lance and the Magikarp

After losing to Kayne's Charmander without landing a single attack, Matthew was forced to return to the Pokemon Centre. "There you are! Bulbasaur has been restored to full health!" the Pokemon Centre nurse said, handing Matt back his PokeBall. "You should really be more careful. Grass types are weak to Fire types, so you shouldn't bring one of this low level into a battle with one, unless it can counter it."

"Th-thank y-you" Matt said, and placed Bulbasaur's PokeBall into his ball pocket. He had finished crying, but the tears had left stains on his cheeks. "Wh-where is Rattata?" he asked her.

"Oh, that Rattata ran out of the Pokemon Centre shortly before I finished Bulbasaur's treatment. It is wild, after all, and has a mind of its own. Though I'm sure it's thankful to you!" she said with a cheery smile.

"Oh,... right." he said and thanked the nurse again. Matt left the Pokemon Centre and sat down on the bench just outside the door. He took out Bulbasaur's PokeBall again, rolling it back and forth in his hand. "I'm sorry, Bulbasaur. I didn't know that you were weak to fire... I guess I have a lot to learn if I have to be a trainer."

"Oh, yeah you do!" the girl he had met on Route 1 said, coming up beside him. "How could you _not_ have known that Bulbasaur was weak to Fire?"

"I-I-I," Matthew stuttered.

"Geeze, calm down. But seriously, you're going to have to learn a lot if you're going to enter the Pokemon League." she said, sitting down beside him. Matt scooted as far as he could away from the girl, almost falling off the bench.

"P-P-Pokemon L-League?" Matthew asked. Talking to a girls was very difficult for him. There were very few girls in Pallet Town, so he had never had much practice.

"You... don't know what the Pokemon League is? Your friend... or whatever he is... said that he was entering it, so I assumed you did. Geeze, kid. Did you grow up living under a Graveler or something?" the girl asked. "The Pokemon League, or the Indigo League here anyway, is an organization set up to challenge Pokemon trainers. The goal of trainers in the League is to become the champion by beating the Elite Four, a set of four very powerful trainers, and then the current champion. First, though, a trainer must beat eight gym leaders and collect their badges in order to get access to the Elite Four in the first place." she explained.

"B-but I'm n-n-not good at battling!" Matt cried.

"Uh, duh. I could tell that just by watching you. But I wasn't too great when I started out either. You learn!" the girl said. "By the way, my name is Miriam. Probably should have introduced myself sooner..."

"M-M-Matthew..." the boy said, trying to look the girl in the eyes.

"Yeah, I got that from your battle. Who was that guy, anyway?" Miriam asked.

"A f-f-friend fr-from Pallet Town." Matthew said, debating if he should have used the word friend.

"Some friend." the girl scoffed. "Anyway, you are going to enter the Pokemon League, aren't you? You're not going to let your... 'friend' take all the glory, right?"

"I s-s-suppose not... b-but h-h-how do I j-join?" Matthew asked, still not completely sure that he wanted to join in the first place.

"Well, I'm not sure, really. I've never really wanted to join the League, so it's never came up." Miriam answered. "I bet that they register you when you challenge a gym though. That'd make sense."

"Gym? Wh-where w-would I f-find a gym?" Matt asked, pulling out his town map that Professor Oak had given him.

"Well, there is one here in Viridian City..." the girl started to say, "but it's been closed down for the past two months. The gym leader there mysteriously vanished and no one has showed up to replace him. They said he was the most powerful leader in the entire region, so it may be for the best." she looked at his map and pointed to a point just North of Viridian. "That's Pewter City, probably the closest town with a gym. I suggest you head there."

"P-Pewter City?" Matt said, remembering that he had heard of it many times before, or rather what laid between Viridian and Pewter. "D-don't I h-have to go th-through Viridian F-Forest t-to get there?" he asked.

"Yeah, but it's no sweat! That's where I go my Pokemon. Look!" Miriam said, taking a PokeBall out from her purse. She pressed the button in the centre and a flash of white light flew from it. A sphere of light appeared on the ground in front of them, and began to reduce in size until it took the shape of a small, rodent-like Pokemon with yellow fur and a crooked tail.

"Chu chu?" the Pokemon asked, looking up at Matthew.

"Pikachu?" the boy asked, taking out his Pokedex and pulling up the Electric type's page.

"_Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon. It stores electricity in the electric sacs on its cheeks. When it releases pent-up energy in a burst, the electric power is equal to a lightning bolt._" the Pokedex stated.

"Yup. I caught it just last week! It's pretty cute, isn't it?" Miriam squealed in delight and patted her Pokemon on the head. "Okay, Pikachu. Return!" she said, and Pikachu was turned back into the white energy, and pulled back into the PokeBall.

"St-still, I d-don't know if I c-can go through it. I'll get l-lost..." Matt said, still looking at the map, trying to find another way through to Pewter.

"Nah, I'll go with you if you want. I know the forest paths as well as the back of my hand!" she said, and looked at the back of her hand. "Hey! When did I get this mark?" Miriam said, rubbing at a mark that had appeared there.

"Th-that'd b-b-be n-n-nice, b-b-but..." the boy stared to say.

"But nothing! I'm coming with you, and that's that!" Miriam said, grabbing a hold of Matthew's wrist and dragging him away from the Pokemon Centre.

"B-b-b-b-but!" Matthew tried to say again, unintentionally dragging his heels into the ground.

"I said, no buts! Now come on! We can catch a bunch of Pokemon together!" Miriam said with a laugh.

"I d-don't have any P-PokeBalls!" Matt cried.

"Oh." the girl said, stopping. Matt fell forward, landing on his face. "That could be an issue."

"S-s-see. I c-can't go to Vi-Viridian Forest." the boy said, picking himself up and dusting off his face.

"Nonsense!" Miriam cried. "I'll take you to the PokeMart!" she said, and started to run once again, with Matt dragging behind her.

"P-P-PokeMart?" Matt asked whilst being pulled along by his arm.

"Kid, seriously? A PokeMart is a shop that sells everything you need to be a Pokemon trainer! It's the only place you can buy PokeBalls!" Miriam answered and soon she had dragged the boy clear across the city, to the front of a tall building with dark grey walls. "Here ya go, kid. Shop to your heart's content!"

"Oh. Th-thank... you..." the boy said, and entered the PokeMart. Inside he could see shelves lined with many different bottles and jars and boxes. He had no idea what most of the items were, but when he saw the white and red spheres sitting on a shelf, he ran up to them.

"PokeBalls, eh, kid?" an old man with a long white beard dressed in a blue uniform and a white apron asked. "You look like a brand new Pokemon trainer. Clean clothes, no scars, bright face. Yup, I bet you don't even have a badge yet!"

"Y-y-yes, s-s-s-sir." Matthew stuttered, picking out five PokeBalls.

"A shy one, eh? Hmm, that's no good. A Pokemon trainer needs to be brave! They need to be able to take on any challenge." the man said, then looked the boy up and down. "Eh, I think you'll be alright though. I can see something in your heart." the elderly man said, and took the PokeBalls from Matthew's hand. "Come up to the counter and I'll check you out."

Matt followed the man to the front counter where he began to punch the keys on his register. "D-do you r-really think I c-can be a g-g-good trainer?" the boy asked him. The man's words made him feel strange in his heart. A strange feeling similar to the feeling he had felt with Rattata.

"Oh, yes. Quite good, possibly. You see, a long time ago I was a Pokemon trainer, myself. Now, I wasn't the best by a long-shot, mind you, but I was... decent enough. But anyway, along my journey I met many trainers. Some were hot-shot kids who searched the entire region looking for powerful Pokemon, like Rhydon, to add to their teams. Many of those went on to become decent trainers as well, but many of them found a different path..." the man started to drift away from the conversation, as if falling into a memory. "Then I also met some young trainers who were quiet and sometimes a little shy. One of those trainers went on to be one of the greatest Pokemon trainers in the world."

"R-really? Wh-who was it?" the boy asked, very intrigued now to learn that a boy like him could become such a powerful trainer.

"His name was Lance. One day, before Lance even started his Pokemon journey, he was fishing in the stream just on the outskirts of his home town. Now, most of the Pokemon where he lived were powerful and dangerous, and Lance was afraid of them. The only Pokemon around that was harmless, and he did not fear, was the Fish Pokemon, Magikarp.

"After hours of fishing, Lance hooked one and caught it with a PokeBall. Magikarp is generally known as one of the weakest Pokemon in the world, so his friends all made fun of him and always challenged him to battles. He never once won a battle with his Magikarp. But that did not stop the lad, no, he kept on training his Pokemon, giving it love and attention whenever he could. Then one day it paid off.

"Lance's weak little Magikarp evolved into the terror of the seas, Gyarados. At first, Lance was terrified of what his Pokemon had become, but because of the love that he had given his Pokemon, he was completely in control of the powerful creature. Because Lance was so timid and careful with his friend, it became one of the most powerful Pokemon in the world, and helped him to become a member of the Elite Four." the man finished the story with a beaming grin.

Matt shared the grin, and pulled out the PokeBall that contained his Bulbasaur. "B-Bulbasaur and I are going to become great friends! I d-don't care about becoming stronger though, but I'll m-make sure that Bulbasaur grows t-to however strong it w-wants to be!"

"That a lad!" the man shouted and laughed. After paying for the PokeBalls, Matthew left the PokeMart to find Miriam waiting outside.

"What took you so long?" she asked, tapping her foot. "I thought you were just buying PokeBalls!"

"Th-th-the cl-clerk was talking t-to me..." the boy said, looking down at the ground.

"Oh, well we have to go now! It's going to get dark before we get through the forest if we dally any longer!" the girl cried and grabbed Matt by the arm once again.

Soon enough they reached the gate to Viridian Forest. Inside the forest, the light from the sun grew dim, and Matthew could see why Miriam wanted to get through it before night fell. He could barely see anything already, and in total darkness, anything could happen. "Come on, go through!" she said, pushing him out onto the forest path.

"B-b-but it's d-dark!" Matt cried out. Darkness was another one of his phobias.

"Don't be such a Meowth!" the girl cried, and then froze suddenly. "Wh-wh-what w-was th-that?" she asked, looking down at her legs. "S-something j-just br-brushed up against m-me..."

"Wh-what?" the boy said, suddenly very aware of his lower half. "B-B-Bulbasaur, come on out!" he said, releasing his Pokemon from it's pocket in panic.

"Draaaa?" Bulbasaur asked, looking around in the darkness. "Daaa!" the Pokemon cried happily as it spotted something move from behind Miriam. "Daaan daaan!"

"It... sounds happy." Miriam said, turning around to see what the Bulbasaur was so glad to see. "I... don't see anything..."

"Fuuu!" Bulbasaur cried, and ran off into one of the bushes.

"B-Bulbasaur! W-wait!" the boy cried, but Bulbasaur soon returned. "Wh-what?" Matthew crouched down to Bulbasaur's level and crawled up to the tiny Pokemon hiding behind its back. "It's Rattata..." he said in a calm voice.

"R-Rattata?" Miriam asked. "Y-you mean, the same one that you brought to the Pokemon Centre?"

"Y-Yeah. It must have followed us here." Matt said, reaching out to pet the Pokemon's head. Rattata pushed it's head up against the new trainer's hand. Neither were afraid. "Say..." Matt started, an idea popping into his head. "R-Rattata, would you like to come with me and Bulbasaur?" he asked the Normal type.

"Raaaaa!" Rattata cried gleefully. Matthew pulled an empty PokeBall from his pack and placed it on the ground. "Koko!" Rattata cried and tapped the button on the ball with its head. Instantly, the ball opened and Rattata was surrounded in a ball of white light. The light began to close around Rattata and the Pokemon was pulled into the ball. The PokeBall rocked back and forth three times, and then came to a stop after it emitted a "clicking" noise.

"I... caught a Pokemon..." Matt said in astonishment.

"Congratulations!" Miriam said, and patted the boy on the back. "Now let's get a move on! It's almost five o'clock!"

The boy picked up the PokeBall and returned Bulbasaur to its own. Matthew had caught his first Pokemon, the next step to becoming a great Pokemon trainer. And with the story of Lance of the Elite Four in his heart, the boy continued on through Viridian Forest.


End file.
